Gambling-style board game

ABSTRACT

A game system includes playing cards, game cards, dice, and a game board with a game path. The game path has spaces instructing players to play card games and dice games, including a dice pairs game and a multilevel dice game. Players wager on outcomes before playing a game and may place side bets on certain games played by another player. The card games include 5-card draw poker and blackjack. The dice games include a craps-style game, a dice poker game, a win-from-jackpot dice, and a pay-to-jackpot dice game. Various playing areas are provided including a playing area with icons for each combination required to win the multilevel dice game, as well as areas to place side bets in favor of and against a player.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Applications 60/558,752 and 60/601,577, filed Mar. 31, 2004 and Sep. 22, 2004, respectively, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to board games, and more particularly, to a board game that incorporates a variety of casino-style card and dice games, provides a high level of player participation, and affords many opportunities for wagering on outcomes.

2. Background Description

As people rediscover the joys and virtues of entertaining at home and spending quality time together, board games have a unique opportunity to regain popularity. At the same time, board games face intense competition from many alternative forms of home entertainment, including endless supplies of television programs, videos and video games, not to mention resurgent card games. To succeed in today's environment, a board game must provide challenging tests of skill, exciting fetes of chance, fast paced action and many choices to avoid monotony. However, many board games still adhere to a timeworn recipe involving a board with spaces organized around a usual theme, a set of pieces to advance along spaces, dice or spinners to determine a number spaces to advance, and, occasionally, cards to define consequences of landing on a space and play money to measure performance.

Card games such as poker and blackjack have surged in popularity, due in large part to the success of televised poker competitions and programs featuring professional gambling. Today, people see these as games of probability and skill, not just dumb luck. Concomitantly, legalized gambling is growing in popularity. Las Vegas and the proliferation of casinos on Indian reservations are testaments to the entertainment value of casinos. At least some of the success can be attributed to the wide variety of games available at casinos to attract folks from all walks of life. However, conventional board games do not integrate casino-style card and dice games, much less a wide variety of such games.

Unfortunately, however, patrons tend to avoid casino games with which they lack familiarity. In casinos, patrons select games and decide how much to wager. Cautious patrons may forgo many exciting games, simply because they lack experience.

While existing games fulfill their respective, particular objective and requirements, heretofore, board games have not generally been adapted to seamlessly integrate a variety of casino-style card and dice games, establish wagering requirements and side-betting opportunities, and provide new easy-to-learn casino-style games that are conducive to fast paced play. The invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems as set forth above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome problems as set forth above, in one aspect of the invention a game system is provided. The game system according to principles of the invention includes a plurality of playing cards, a plurality of game cards, a plurality of random number generators such as dice, and a medium such as a game board for displaying a game path. The game path has a plurality of spaces, including a plurality of spaces instructing players to play a plurality of card games with the playing cards, a plurality of spaces instructing players to play a plurality of dice games, including a dice pairs game, such as Gambler's Row (as described below), and a multilevel dice game such as Roll for the Jackpot (as described below). Players may wager on the outcomes of games they play and place side bets on certain games played by another player.

In another aspect of a game according to principles of the invention, the plurality of card games includes a 5-card draw poker card game and a blackjack card game.

In a further aspect of a game according to principles of the invention, the plurality of dice games further includes a craps-style game such as 7-11 as described below, a dice poker game such as 5-dice poker as described below; and a win-from-jackpot dice game such as Lucky Jackpot as described below, and a pay-to-jackpot dice game such as Pay Jackpot as described below.

In yet another aspect of the invention, various playing areas may be provided including a playing area with icons for each combination required to win the multilevel dice game, as well as areas to place side bets in favor of and against a player.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other aspects, objects, features and advantages of the invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary game board for a board game according to principles of the invention; and

FIG. 2 shows a portion of an exemplary game board for a board game according to principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary board 100 for a board game according to principles of the invention is shown. The board 100 may be comprised of a rigid material, such as cardboard having a glazed laminated surface. In one embodiment, the board 100 is configured to be foldable in a conventional manner to facilitate storage. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other board media, compositions and configurations may be used without departing from the scope of the invention. By way of example and not limitation, a board for use with a game according to the principles of the invention may comprise a gaming table or video screen. The invention is not limited to any particular game board medium, materials, constructions or configurations.

Indicia is provided on the exemplary board 100 to guide and facilitate set-up and play. In particular, a plurality of marked spaces form a rectangular path 142, with a few semicircular offshoots, such as 134. The path 142, including the offshoots, has a fifty-two spaces. Several types of spaces are used. By way of example and not limitation, the types of spaces may include Start 102, Pecos 5-Card Draw Poker 104, Blackjack 106, 5 Dice Poker 108, 7-11 110, Roll for the Jackpot 112, Player's Pick 114, Pay Jackpot 122, Take a Gamble 124, Take a Stroll on Gambler's Row 134, spaces 1 through 6 of Gambler's Row 136, and Lucky Win 138, each of which has a unique significance and requires a player who lands on the space to perform an activity (e.g., play a card or dice game). The corresponding activities are discussed in detail below. The exemplary path 142 includes more than one occurrence of several of the types of spaces. Illustratively, the path 142 includes six Blackjack spaces 106. However, for clarity and simplicity, only one occurrence of each type of space is labeled using a reference numeral. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other paths with non-rectangular shapes; a different number of spaces; different, fewer or additional types of spaces; and a different arrangement and frequency of occurrence of types of spaces may be used without departing from the scope of the invention. The invention is not limited to the particular exemplary path and spaces shown in FIG. 1.

A plurality of playing areas 126-132 and 140 are located inside the path 142. By way of example and not limitation, the types of playing areas may include an area for cards, such as Take a Gamble cards 130 and playing cards 132; an area for placing poker bets 126; an area for Rolling for the Jackpot 128; and an area 140 for a bowl for collecting chips, each of which has a unique purpose. The purpose of each exemplary area is discussed in detail below. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other playing areas with other shapes, names and configurations; a different number of playing areas; different, fewer or additional playing areas; and a different arrangement of playing areas may be used without departing from the scope of the invention. The invention is not limited to the particular exemplary playing areas shown in FIG. 1.

Various elements are provided for playing the game. Exemplary components include one or more random number generators (e.g., dice), tokens (e.g., chips), playing pieces, and cards. The random number generators may include any mechanical or electronic device or program which produces numbers in a substantially random manner. Examples include dice, spinners and computer programs. In a preferred implementation, dice are used, which may include any of various polyhedral dice that have spots or a numerical indication or other indicia on each side. In a particular preferred implementation, conventional six-sided dice with spots or numerals imprinted on the sides are used. The dice are used to determine the order of play and the number of spaces to advance, as well as to play dice games in accordance with the principles of the invention. As used herein, references to dice and rolling dice are intended to encompass all forms of random number generation in according with principles of the invention.

Tokens, such as conventional poker chips, are used to measure performance. Players may wager, win and lose chips. Several types of chips, such as chips of various colors (e.g., white, red and blue), may be used to denote different values. However, other means for measuring performance, such as fake or authentic currency, a tally sheet or the like may be used in lieu of or in addition to chips. As used herein, references to chips are intended to encompass all forms of performance measurement in according with principles of the invention.

Each player moves a playing piece along the path 142. Each playing piece is different in appearance from the other playing pieces to distinguish one player from another. Tangible and computer-generated playing pieces come within the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the number, appearance, size and composition of the playing pieces may vary widely without departing from the scope of the invention.

An exemplary game according to principles of the invention uses two types of cards. The decks of cards described herein may be tangible printed decks of cards or computer generated card images displayed on a screen. First, at least one conventional fifty-two card deck of playing cards is provided. The deck of playing cards includes cards having thirteen ranks (i.e., values) from two to ten and jack, queen, king and ace, in each of four suits, namely heart, spade, club and diamond. While jokers from a conventional deck of playing cards are not required, those skilled in the art will appreciate that jokers may be left in the deck of cards for use as wild cards or in another determined manner in alternate implementations of a game within the scope of the invention. The playing cards are used for casino-style games played as players advance along the path 142. The casino-style games and rules of play are discussed in greater detail below.

The second type of cards is game cards, referred to herein as Take a Gamble cards. These cards direct a player to perform certain activities, such as move to a determined space.

Optionally, a Jackpot bowl (not shown) may be provided for holding chips to be used for Jackpot payouts. In a preferred implementation, a clear plastic bowl is provided as the Jackpot bowl.

Now that the basic elements of an exemplary embodiment of a game according to principles of the invention have been described, the process of setting up the game and initiating play will be described. The Take A Gamble™ card deck and playing card deck should be shuffled and places on their respective places 130 and 132 on the game board. The Jackpot bowl may be placed on the board 100, such as at area 140, or along side the board 100. Each player should choose a playing piece and place it on the $tart space 102. All chips should be divided evenly amongst the players. Then the players should ante up according to an ante up rule by placing the requisite chips into the Jackpot bowl per player. According to an exemplary ante up rule, each player places poker chips into the Jackpot bowl as follows:

-   -   3 White poker chips (token value $1 per chip)     -   3 Red poker chips (token value $5 per chip)     -   3 Blue poker chips (token value $10 per chip)

Players may ante up at the start of the game and whenever the Jackpot is insufficient to cover a player's winnings due from the Jackpot. Chips placed into the Jackpot at the beginning of the game comprise the initial Jackpot. Should a player win more chips than the Jackpot contains, all players (including the winning player) must ante up according to the ante up rule. The winning player may then take the balance of his or her winnings.

The players may set a time, i.e., an agreed upon time at which point the game will end, unless a player loses all of his or her chips before the time expires. The game will end when the time expires or a player loses all of his or her chips, whichever occurs first. However, if time expires and some players have not had their final turn, players who have not had their final turn should have a chance to take them.

The object of the game is to win the most money in chips. As the game proceeds, some players may accumulate playing chips while others may lose chips. A player losing all of his or her chips is considered “busted” and is out of the game, at which time the game may end. Alternatively, when the end of play is reached, such as when the time for game play has expired, the player at that time having the highest cumulative total value of chips wins.

Each player should roll one die to determine the order of play, with the high roller going first, the low roller going last and each other player's turn decided according to the magnitude of the roll. However, other methods for determining the order of play may be used. For example, a high roller may go first, with the player to the right going second and the order progressing clockwise. Alternatively, a counterclockwise order may be used. During a player's turn, the player rolls two dice and advances the number of spaces equal to the total shown on the rolled dice. Each space along the exemplary path 142 contains an instruction in the form of a word or phrase and/or an icon. Some spaces also establish maximum wagers and antes. A player who lands on a space must comply with the instructions of that space, such as by playing a game. Various spaces and corresponding games are described in greater detail below.

In an exemplary embodiment, certain spaces correspond to games that permit side betting. In a preferred implementation, side bets are optional and are only allowed to be placed on 7-11 and Gamblers Row. Side bets are never placed by the player that landed on the game space. Instead, side bets may only placed by players that did not land on the game space. All players that wish to place a side bet for or against must do so prior to the start of an eligible game. The exemplary game board includes a side bet playing area 118 along each side of the game board 100. Illustratively, side bets in favor of the active player (e.g., shooter) are placed on one side 120 of the side bet playing area 118. Side bets against the active player are placed on the opposite side 116 of the side bet playing area 118. A minimum side bet may be $1, and a maximum may be $20. If a player making a side bet wins, the player receives the winnings from the Jackpot. If a player making a side bet loses, the player pays the side bet to the Jackpot. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the rules governing side bets may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, a game according to the invention may allow side bets with other limits, methods of posting and settling, and eligible games.

Now that the basic steps of initiating a game and placing side bets according to principles of the invention have been described, the various spaces and corresponding games will be described. The Start space 102 labeled “$TART” defines the starting space for game play. Additionally, if, after an initial start, a player lands on the Start space 102, then that player rolls the dice again and advances accordingly.

Each Pecos-5-Card Draw Poker™ space 104 requires all players to play a poker-style game, the object of which is to hold a better poker hand than any other player. A poker hand consists of a determined number of (e.g., 5) cards. To play Pecos-5-Card Draw Poker™, all players ante up a token value of $5. All poker chips that are anted up or wagered are placed on the game board area labeled “. . . Place Poker Bets Here . . .” 126, not in the Jackpot bowl. The players play against each other. All chips that are anted up or wagered are awarded to the player with the winning hand. The player who lands on a space that requires dealing of playing cards is the dealer. The deck of playing cards should preferably be shuffled. The dealer may deal cards to players from left to right (clockwise). The dealer deals five cards face down to each player (including the dealer) by dealing one card at a time to each player in rotation until each player has been dealt five face-down cards. After the cards have been dealt, each player may look at his or her cards. The first player to the left of the dealer must fold or place a bet, from a determined minimum bet (e.g., $5.00) to a determined maximum bet (e.g., $25.00). All players in rotation must either match that bet or fold. Next, in turn, each player who has not folded, starting with the first unfolded player to the left of the dealer, may elect to discard up to three cards in the hand dealt to the player and have those cards replaced by the dealer with new cards from the playing deck. After all players have had their chance to discard and receive replacement cards, a second round of betting begins, starting with the first player to the left of the dealer who has not folded. During the second round of betting, each player who is still in the game decides, in turn, to fold or place a bet from a determined minimum bet (e.g., $5.00) to a determined maximum bet (e.g., $25.00). If a player places a bet in the second round of betting, then other players in turn must either fold, match that bet or raise the bet. A player raises a bet by adding a raise to the previous bet. A maximum limit (e.g., $25) may apply to raises. However, in an exemplary implementation, per Pecos-5-Card Draw Poker™ rules, only one player in a round can raise a bet. This rule helps expedite game play. All other active players must either see (i.e., match) the new (i.e., raised) bet or fold. Once everyone has taken their turn, the hand is over. The winner is the player left standing (if every other player folds) or the remaining player with the highest poker hand. If every other player has folded, the player left standing does not have to show his or her hand. The winner of the hand collects all the chips wagered (i.e., by ante, bet, raise and match) during the round. Poker hands are ranked as set forth below in decreasing order of rank:

Royal Flush—Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10, all of the same suit;

Straight Flush—five cards in ranking sequence, all of the same suit;

Four-of-a-kind—four cards of the same rank;

Full House—three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank;

Flush—five cards of the same suit, not in ranking sequence;

Straight—five cards in ranking sequence, not all of the same suit;

Three-of-a-Kind—three cards of the same rank;

Two Pairs—two cards of one rank and two cards of another rank; and

One Pair—two cards of the same rank.

A hand which does not have any of the above combinations is ranked by the highest ranking card it contains, as well as the next highest cards in decreasing order of their rank. In the event of a tie, the player with the highest rank wins. In such case, the competing hands are ranked by their cards in order of rank. However, if all cards are of equal rank in the competing hands (e.g., player 1 holds a pair of 2's , a pair of 3's and a 4, while player 2 holds a pair of 2's , a pair of 3's and a 4), then the tied players may play a tiebreaker hand, roll dice or draw a card to determine a clear winner. Alternatively, tied players may opt to equally share the winnings.

Pecos-5-Card Draw Poker™ game rules may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the orders of dealing and betting may be varied. Betting limits may be varied. The number of cards dealt to each player may also be varied. Additionally, the manner of dealing (e.g., dealing some, all or no cards face up) may be varied. Furthermore, other poker-style games may be utilized in lieu of or in addition to Pecos-5-Card Draw Poker™ without departing from the scope of the invention. For reference convenience, a poker game such as Pecos-5-Card Draw Poker™ as described above is referred to as a 5-card draw poker game with one bet per round.

Each Blackjack space 106 requires all players to play a blackjack-style game. The object of blackjack is to get a hand with a value as close to 21 as possible without going over. A hand that exceeds 21 is a bust. Players play against the dealer, i.e., the player who landed on the blackjack space 106. To win, each player has to beat the dealer's hand, but not each other player's hand. All bets are placed before any cards are dealt. The dealer does not place a bet. Each player except the dealer places an individual bet, such as a bet between a minimum bet (e.g., $1) and a maximum bet (e.g., $50). Betting progresses from the player to the left of the dealer, moving clockwise, to the player to the right of the dealer.

After all bets have been placed, the dealer deals two cards to each player, moving around the table clockwise from the player to the left of the dealer and dealing one card at a time. In a preferred implementation, the dealer deals the first card face down to all players, including the dealer. The dealer then deals the second card face up to all players, including the dealer. Number cards have a value equal to their number, while all the picture cards (Jacks, Queens, and Kings) are worth 10. Aces can be worth 11 or one, whichever is more beneficial to the player holding the hand. Each player decides if his or her hand is close enough to 21 that it can beat the dealer's hand, based on the one dealer card he or she can see. If so, the player will stand, and the play moves to the next player. However, if a player wants to try to get closer to 21, he or she may request a hit, and the dealer will deal him or her an additional card. If the player has not busted (i.e., exceeded 21) from the first hit, he or she may decide to be hit again or to stand. Play moves to the next player when the current player either busts or stands. Once all the players at the table have made their plays, the dealer reveals his or her second card. If the dealer's total is 17 or higher, the dealer must stay. If the dealer's total is 16 or less, the dealer must hit. In the preferred implementation, the dealer never chooses whether to stand or hit. If the dealer busts, every other player wins. If the dealer does not bust, the dealer's hand is compared to each other player's hand. The higher total wins, netting a 1-to-1 payoff for each winning player. A tie is a push—the player gets his or her bet back, but wins nothing. If the dealer hits Blackjack (i.e., a 21) on his or her first two cards drawn (a Natural), then the round is over and winnings are paid to the dealer at twice the amount of the players' bets. However, if a player in addition to the dealer has hit Blackjack on the first two cards drawn, that player has tied with the dealer (a Push) and bets between the dealer and that player are cancelled. If a player hits Blackjack on their first two cards drawn (a Natural), and the dealer has not hit a Natural, then the dealer pays that player twice the amount of that player's bet, and that player's hand is over. The remaining players continue playing according to the How to Play rules. All players receive their winnings from the dealer and all losses are paid to the dealer.

Blackjack game rules may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the orders of dealing and betting may be varied. Betting limits and odds may be varied. The manner of dealing may be varied, e.g., by dealing some, all or no cards face up. Furthermore, other blackjack-style games may be utilized in lieu of or in addition to Pecos-5-Card Draw Poker™. By way of example and not limitation, the game may require players to play against one or more other players, instead of playing against only the dealer, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Each 5-Dice Poker space 108 requires all players to play a poker-style game with dice, the object of which is to hold a better poker hand than any other player. The rank of dice is the face-up value shown when the dice comes to rest after being rolled. A hand is the plurality of dice used by a player in the dice game. A 5-Dice Poker hand consists of five dice. To play 5-Dice Poker, all players bet a token value determined by the player who landed on the 5-Dice Poker space 108 (i.e., the “dealer”). The determined token value must not exceed a maximum bet, such as the maximum bet of $50.00 as shown in the exemplary game board space 108. All poker chips are placed on the game board area labeled “. . . Place Poker Bets Here . . .” 126, not in the Jackpot bowl. The players play against each other. All chips that are wagered are awarded to the player with the winning hand. Each player takes a turn with up to two rolls of the dice. Play may progress from left of the dealer to right (clockwise), ending with the dealer. During a player's turn, the player first rolls all five dice. Then the player may roll none, any or all of the dice to complete the player's turn. Once every player has taken a turn, the round of play is over. The winner is the player who achieved the highest poker hand. The winner collects all the chips wagered during the round of play. 5-Dice Poker hands may be ranked as set forth below in decreasing order of rank:

Five-of-Kind—five dice of the same rank;

Four-of-a-Kind—four dice of the same rank;

Straight—five dice in ranking sequence;

Full House—three dice of one rank and two dice of another rank;

Three-of-a-Kind—three dice of the same rank;

Two Pairs—two dice of one rank and two dice of another rank; and

One Pair—two dice of the same rank.

A hand which does not have any of the above combinations is ranked by the highest ranking dice it contains, as well as the next highest dice in decreasing order of their rank. In the event of a tie, the player with the highest rank wins. In such case, the competing hands are ranked by their dice in order of rank. However, if all dice are of equal rank in the competing hands (e.g., player 1 holds a pair of 2's , a pair of 3's and a 4, while player 2 holds a pair of 2's , a pair of 3's and a 4), then the tied players may play a tiebreaker round by rolling dice or drawing a card to determine a clear winner. Alternatively, tied players may opt to equally share the winnings.

Note that a straight is ranked higher than a full house in the exemplary 5-Dice Poker game. In contrast, a full house is ranked higher than a straight in poker games played with playing cards. This difference in rankings is attributable to the odds when using dice instead of playing cards. There are two possible straights 1 to 5 and 2 to 6 when using 5 dice. Each of these straights can be ordered in 5!=120 ways. There are 6⁵=7776 ways to roll five dice. Therefore, the probability is 2×120/7776=3.09%. Whereas, the probability of rolling a full house in 5-Dice Poker is 3.86%. Thus, the hand with the lower odds is ranked higher in the exemplary implementation.

5 Dice Poker game rules may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the orders of rolling dice and betting may be varied. Betting limits may be varied. The number of dice used may be varied. Furthermore, other poker-style games played with dice may be utilized in lieu of or in addition to five dice poker as described herein.

Each 7-11 space 110 requires the player who lands on the space (i.e., the “shooter”) to play a craps-style game with dice, the object of which is to roll a Natural (i.e., 7 or 11) on the initial roll (i.e., the Come Out roll) or to roll a Point, and to avoid Craps. The game is played with a pair of six-sided dice. The shooter bets a token value against the Jackpot. Other players may place side bets for or against the shooter. By way of example, players may place side bets on whether the shooter will win or lose. All bets must be made before the dice are rolled. The token value of the shooter's bet must not exceed a maximum bet, such as the maximum bet of $50.00 as shown in on exemplary game board space 110. A minimum bet of $1.00 may also be established. A shooter's wins and losses are paid to or received from the Jackpot. The shooter's wagered chips may be placed adjacent to the Jackpot bowl area 140 or some other area. The exemplary rules of betting may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

To play 7-11, the shooter rolls a pair of dice. If, on the Come Out roll, the shooter rolls either a 7 or an 11 (i.e., a Natural), then the shooter wins and the 7-11 game is over. However, if, on the come out roll, the shooter rolls a 2, 3, or 12 (i.e., Craps), then the shooter loses and the 7-11 game is over. If, on the Come Out roll, the shooter rolls a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, the number rolled is considered a “Point.” When a Point is set, the shooter must roll the Point again, before the shooter “Sevens Out” by rolling a 7. If the shooter rolls the Point before rolling a 7, then the shooter wins. However, if the shooter Sevens Out (i.e., rolls a 7 before rolling the Point), the shooter loses. 7-11 game rules may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

Each Roll for the Jackpot space 112 requires the player who lands on the space (i.e., the “shooter”) to play a multilevel dice game. The object is to achieve at each level a determined combination in an allotted number of rolls of a determined number of dice. The game is played with a pair of six-sided dice. The shooter bets a determined token value (e.g., $10.00 ) against the Jackpot. All bets must be made before the dice are rolled. If the shooter wins by achieving the determined combinations in the allotted number of rolls, the shooter receives the entire Jackpot. If the shooter fails to achieve the determined combinations in the allotted number of rolls, the shooter loses the bet to the Jackpot. The exemplary rules of betting may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

Referring now to an exemplary Roll for the Jackpot playing area 128, the object is to achieve at least 2-of-a-kind with only one roll of the five dice in a first level, then at least 3-of-a-kind with no more than two rolls of the five dice in a second level, and then 5-of-a-kind with five rolls of the five dice in the third level. The exemplary playing area 128 includes icons that illustrate the required combinations, with the icons arranged in three parallel rows. Each row comprises a level, with the first level being 2-of-a-kind. The player may position his or her playing piece at the corresponding level of the Roll for the Jackpot playing area 128. Illustratively, if a player rolls 2-of-a-kind with the first roll of the five dice, then the player moves on to the second level. At the second level, the player must roll at least 3-of-a-kind with no more than two rolls of the five dice. A player may roll the dice up to two times, i.e., all 5 dice on the first roll and any or all of the dice on the second roll. Should the player achieve 3-of-a-kind with the allotted two rolls in the second level, then the player moves to the third and final level. To win the Jackpot, the player must then roll 5-of-a-kind with no more than five rolls of the dice in the third level. The player may roll the dice up to five times, i.e., all 5 dice on the first roll and any or all of the dice on second through fifth rolls. A player that achieves 2-of-a-kind with only one roll of the five dice in the first level, then at least 3-of-a-kind with no more than two rolls of the five dice in the second level, and 5-of-a kind with no more than five rolls of the five dice in the third level wins the entire Jackpot. If the player does not achieve 2-of-a-kind with only one roll of the five dice in the first level, or does not achieve at least 3-of-a-kind within two rolls of the five dice in the second level, or does not achieve 5-of-a kind within five rolls of the five dice in the third level, then play of Roll for the Jackpot ceases and the player loses. After completing Roll for the Jackpot, the player returns to the original space, i.e., either a Roll for the Jackpot space 112 or a Take a Gamble space 124, and play resumes with the next player.

Each Player's Pick space 114 requires the player who lands on the space to play any game on the game board, except Roll for The Jackpot and Lucky Win. Alternatively, a player may select any other game that can be played with the available playing cards and/or dice. Examples of such card games include Texas Hold'em Poker, 7 Card Stud Poker, Omaha 8 Poker, 5 Card Stud Poker, Gin Rummy, War and Spades. Then play of the selected game proceeds according to the rules for that game.

Each Pay Jackpot space 122 requires the player who lands on the space to play a pay-to-jackpot dice game. To play, a player must roll a determined number of dice and pay into the Jackpot a token value equal to the product of the roll and a multiplier. By way of example and not limitation, if the space 122 requires the player to pay two times the roll of five dice and the player rolls a 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 for a total roll of 15, then the player must pay $30 into the Jackpot.

Each Lucky Win space 138 requires the player who lands on the space to play a win-from-jackpot dice game that requires the player roll a determined number of dice and win from the Jackpot a token value equal to the product of the roll and a multiplier. By way of example and not limitation, if the space 138 requires the player to win five times the roll of five dice and the player rolls a 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 for a total roll of 15, then the player receives $75 from the Jackpot.

Each Take A Gamble™ space 124 requires the player who lands on the space to take the top Take A Gamble™ card from the deck of cards at the Take A Gamble™ playing area 130. The player must comply with the instructions on the drawn card. By way of example and not limitation, the card may instruct the player to advance to another specific space and play the game corresponding to that space. As another example, a card may instruct the player to play a specific dice or card game. Take A Gamble™ cards may provide instructions in addition to or in lieu of any or all of the foregoing. All poker chips that are lost or won during this play are paid to or received from the Jackpot, unless otherwise required by the rules of the game played. After the round, the card is placed on the bottom of the card deck.

Each Gambler's Row™ space 124 requires a player who lands on the space to play a Gambler's Row™ dice game, i.e., a dice pairs game. An object of the dice game is to roll required combinations (e.g., pairs), in a maximum of x rolls using y dice. In an exemplary implementation using five 6-sided dice, the objective may be to roll 2-of-a-kind, of each number represented on the 6-sided die, in a maximum of 10 rolls. Illustratively, a player must roll all five dice, a maximum of 10 times, achieving in the rolls, two 1's , two 2's , two 3's , two 4's , two 5's and two 6's , in any sequence, in a maximum of 10 rolls, in order to win. If a player succeeds in achieving the requisite combinations in the allotted number of rolls, then the player wins a determined amount of chips (e.g., $50) from the Jackpot. However, if a player fails to achieve the requisite combinations in the allotted number of rolls, then the player loses a determined amount (e.g., $25) which must be paid into the Jackpot.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a close-up view of an exemplary Gambler's ROW™ offshoot path is shown. The exemplary offshoot, which is optional, includes a plurality of spaces 210-235. Each such space includes a number from 1 to 6, representing a number of a face of a six-sided die. A player who lands on either space 205 or 240 plays the Gambler's Row™ dice game. A side betting area 245-255 is also provided for placing side bets. A player may wager (vis side betting) on whether or not the player who is playing the Gambler's Row™ dice game will prevail by placing a side bet of within a minimum and maximum (e.g., $1 to $20) 250 for 245 or against 255 the active player. As discussed above, the object of the Gambler's ROW™ dice game is to roll five dice, a maximum of ten times, achieving in the rolls, two 1's , two 2's , two 3's , two 4's , two 5's and two 6's , in any sequence, in a maximum of 10 rolls, in order to win. As each required pair is rolled, the player may place a chip or other available marker on the corresponding space of the offshoot to track performance. Thus, as a player rolls two 1's , two 2's , two 3's , two 4's , two 5's and two 6's , in any order, the player may place markers on spaces 210, 215, 220, 225, 230 and 235, respectively.

Advantageously, a game according to the principles of the invention compels a player to competitively play various card and dice games corresponding to spaces on which that player lands. This aspect of the game forces a participant to play games that may be entirely new to the participant. It also affords the participant an opportunity to develop a new appreciation for known games. To motivate a player, the exemplary game requires the player to wager before playing the game. A player cannot opt out of a game or forgo wagering.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the Gambler's Row™ dice game may be varied without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the number of dice, the allowed number of throws, the required combinations and the order in which they must be achieved may all be varied within the scope of the invention.

While the invention has been described in terms of various embodiments, implementations and examples, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Variations and modifications may be affected within the scope and spirit of the invention. 

1. A game system comprised of: a plurality of playing cards, a plurality of game cards, a plurality of random number generators, a medium displaying a game path, said game path being comprised of a plurality of spaces, including one or more spaces instructing one or more players to play a first card game with the playing cards, one or more spaces instructing one or more players to play a second card game with the playing cards, one or more spaces instructing one or more players to play a first dice game with the plurality of random number generators, and one or more spaces instructing one or more players to play a second dice game with the plurality of random number generators, wherein said second dice game is a dice pairs game, one or more spaces instructing a player to draw a game card and perform an action determined by the drawn game card.
 2. A game system according to claim 1, wherein the game path includes at least one offshoot, said offshoot having spaces marked for pairs of the dice pairs game.
 3. A game system according to claim 1, wherein the first card game is a 5-card draw poker card game.
 4. A game system according to claim 1, wherein the second card game is a blackjack card game.
 5. A game system according to claim 1, wherein the first dice game is a multilevel dice game.
 6. A game system according to claim 5, wherein the game path includes at least one multilevel dice game playing area, said playing area having icons for each combination required to win the multilevel dice game.
 7. A game system according to claim 1, wherein the first dice game is a dice game from the group consisting of a pay-to-jackpot dice game and a win-from-jackpot dice game.
 8. A game system according to claim 1, wherein the first card game is a Pecos 5-Card Draw Poker card game, the second card game is a blackjack card game, the first dice game is a Roll for the Jackpot dice game, and said plurality of spaces further including one or more spaces instructing one or more players to play a Pay Jackpot dice game and a Lucky Jackpot dice game.
 9. A game system according to claim 1, further including a jackpot bowl.
 10. A game system according to claim 1, further including indicia for defining an area to place side bets favoring a player and indicia for defining an area to place side bets against a player.
 11. A method of playing a game system as in claim 1, said method comprising steps of rolling dice to determine a number of spaces of a path to advance a playing piece, advancing the playing piece a number of spaces shown on the rolled dice, performing an action according to the space on which the advanced playing piece lands, said action including one of: rolling dice again to determine a number of spaces of the path to advance the playing piece, selecting a dice or card game to play, drawing a game card, or playing a game from the group consisting of: a draw poker game, a dice poker game, a craps-style game with dice, a multilevel dice game, a dice pairs game, a win-from-jackpot dice game, and a pay-to-jackpot dice game.
 12. A method of playing a game system according to claim 11, wherein, if the action corresponding to the space on which the advanced playing piece lands is playing a game, then the method further comprises a step of wagering on the outcome of said game.
 13. A method of playing a game system according to claim 12, wherein the draw poker game is a Pecos 5-Card Draw Poker game.
 14. A method of playing a game system according to claim 12, wherein the dice poker game is a 5-dice poker game.
 15. A method of playing a game system according to claim 12, wherein the multilevel dice game is a Roll for the Jackpot game.
 16. A method of playing a game system according to claim 12, wherein the dice pairs game is a Gambler's Row game.
 17. A method of playing a game system according to claim 12, wherein the win-from-jackpot dice game is a Lucky Win dice game.
 18. A method of playing a game system according to claim 12, wherein the pay-to-jackpot dice game is a Pay Jackpot game.
 19. A method of playing a game system according to claim 11, wherein, the first card game is a 5-dice poker game, the second card game is blackjack, the first dice game is a craps-style game with dice, the second dice game is a dice poker game; and the game system further includes one or more spaces instructing one or more players to play a multilevel dice game, and one or more spaces instructing one or more players to play a win-from-jackpot dice game; and one or more spaces instructing one or more players to play a pay-to-jackpot dice game.
 20. A method of playing a game using a path with a plurality of spaces, each space instructing a player who lands on the space to perform an action, a plurality of playing pieces, a plurality of dice, and a plurality of playing cards, said method comprising steps of rolling one or more dice to determine a number of spaces of the path to advance a playing piece, advancing the playing piece a number of spaces shown on the rolled dice, and performing an action according to the space on which the advanced playing piece lands, said action including placing a wager and, after placing the wager, playing a card game or playing a dice game. 